Spirometers are generally devices used by physicians and medical professionals to gauge lung and breathing performance of patients that may have asthma, COPD or other breathing ailments, and patients recovering from surgery. When readings on the spirometers change, the therapy or medication may change. A change in spirometer readings may even prompt the patient to call a doctor or nurse for advice. Unfortunately, at times early detection of deteriorating breathing problems is not possible, which could avoid trips to the emergency room.
Another challenge in using spirometers that are currently on the market is that their complexity requires explanation to the patients about how they should be used. These devices are not intuitive in their operation and how they can help patients. Currently there are a number of solutions for assisting with therapeutic breathing. Some of these solutions attempt to provide a visual measurement, but these solutions fail to meet the needs of the industry because they do not make it clear what is being measured nor how the device is helping the user improve their lung health.
Therefore, there currently exists a need in the industry for an apparatus and method for measuring pulmonary health improvement for a patient and providing feedback to the patient on how effectively he is using such an apparatus.